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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
This one was a bit odd. The tone throughout felt very monotone, which made it hard for me to stay fully engaged.
I’m generally not a big fan of time travel, and while the concept here was unique, I’m not sure I fully grasped how it worked. There were moments where it was confusing to follow, who was speaking, what was happening, and I found myself re-reading pages just to try and piece things together.
It had potential, but the execution left me feeling a bit lost.
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
For a debut novel written by NOT a person with an MFA, but in fact a doctorate in philosophy and a post-doctoral Harvard fellowship, this was beautifully written. This is a solid 3.5 for me but I'm rounding up, not down, because of how well done the writing was, but I realllllllly want to mark it down because the plot is too time-travel adjacent for my liking and I just really didn't like trying to wrap my brain around how the valleys work. This is a VERY philosophical (makes sense based on Howard's education) story that made me think too much about how much I wish I could go backwards 20 years and change some things, but then also what the consequences of that would be for both me and those around me. And since it's not time travel, but instead basically adjacent multi-verse valleys that are all 20 years behind their neighboring valley, what would happen if you really were able to cross that boundary and make that change? What happens to "future" you? agkdhagla it's all too much to consider!
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
Part one is a coming-of-age story in this world of identical valley side by side in different timeliness. 20 years separating each one.
It is a very tightly controlled society intent on preserving the world from changes brought by interference from visitors, or escapees, from neighboring valleys.
The second part is how the aftermath of a tragic accident that occurred in part one plays out. It gets really dark. The ending leaves room for ambiguity.
One moment can change the direction of your life. What would it take to make it worth risking not just your life, but perhaps rewriting the whole world? Is that even possible?
The prose is atmospheric and reflective. The time logic is a bit confusing and fuzzy at times. It took me a while to get invested, but then I was really immersed. It was a beautiful and emotional read.
It is a very tightly controlled society intent on preserving the world from changes brought by interference from visitors, or escapees, from neighboring valleys.
The second part is how the aftermath of a tragic accident that occurred in part one plays out. It gets really dark. The ending leaves room for ambiguity.
One moment can change the direction of your life. What would it take to make it worth risking not just your life, but perhaps rewriting the whole world? Is that even possible?
The prose is atmospheric and reflective. The time logic is a bit confusing and fuzzy at times. It took me a while to get invested, but then I was really immersed. It was a beautiful and emotional read.
emotional
reflective
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really enjoyed the premise of this book. I have never read something like this before, and the writing made it go very fast.
The lack of speech indications did not affect my overall perspective of the book. However, I can understand the difficulty some readers may have with the lack of quotations.
The lack of speech indications did not affect my overall perspective of the book. However, I can understand the difficulty some readers may have with the lack of quotations.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
This is an absolutely stunning debut novel from Scott Alexander Howard. A speculative fiction adventure that drew me in immediately, that I could not put down until I figured out exactly what would happen to Odile and her friends. This was reminiscent of Sea of Tranquility in its compelling and complicated overlapping timelines, but remained grounded in reality which I appreciated as a non-sci-fi reader. My heart was broken over ad over again as Odile's life progessed, and just when I thought she had hit rock bottom, things got even worse. Her bravery is the ultimate driving force of the movel, and the last 15% of the book had my heart absolutely racing. I thought I knew how the book would end, and I kind of did, but it was still such an exciting journey to go on.
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes